Bai Ye saw that Fang Yuxin was obviously enraged with embarrassment, and he dared not provoke her further; he simply bowed his head in silence, saying nothing. When Fang Yuxin saw him , she suddenly felt a bit uneasy inside. She glared fiercely at Zhou Han, no longer paying attention to him, and turned to look at Liu Zhenglin and Zhao Yan.
Both of them had intended to speak earlier, but they were interrupted by Zhou Han, and it was not their place to interject casually. Now, sensing Fang Yuxin’s gaze, the two exchanged a look, and Zhao Yan spoke first, "My name is Zhao Yan, a former steel mill worker, not very capable. Now I’ve awakened the Fire Ability, but I can’t compare to you young folks."
Saying this, she frowned with difficulty. Then she looked at Fang Yuxin, speaking firmly, "Although I’m not very skilled and am older, I hope to join your Mercenary Team. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it, without any shirking!"
Liu Zhenglin then said, "My name is Liu Zhenglin, a former landscape designer, and I know a bit about plants. Beyond that, I have no other skills, but now I’ve awakened the Wood Element Superpower. I also hope to join your Mercenary Team. Although I am not very capable, I will work hard to improve!"
Fang Yuxin looked at the two of them and nodded, "I’ll take you both on, but..." Here, Fang Yuxin paused, slightly narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing these people, "there’s something I must tell you; joining my Mercenary Team requires a Blood Oath of eternal loyalty. If you have no objections, you can make the oath now. However, if you are unwilling, I will not force you."
On hearing this, the expressions of the several people present changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, it was Zhao Yan who spoke up first, "I am willing to make the oath, but are there any taboos with this Blood Oath?"
Fang Yuxin explained simply, "Once you’ve sworn the Blood Oath, I can sense through its bond whether you’re alive or dead. As long as you don’t betray us, the Blood Oath will have no effect on you, but if someone does betray, I will know immediately, and that person will suffer the oath’s backlash!"
Zhao Yan then nodded, "All right! I’ll swear the Blood Oath! What should I do?"
Fang Yuxin gave her a calming look and then turned towards Qian Lang and Liu Zhenglin. Liu Zhenglin glanced at his daughter Liu Yihuan and nodded as well, saying succinctly, "I am willing."
Qian Lang looked towards Qian Sen, seeking his advice. Unfortunately, Qian Sen did not even glance at him, acting as though he was unaware of his grandson’s turmoil, which frustrated Qian Lang immensely. But after his frustration, he still said, "I have no objections." Having said this, he couldn’t help but glance at Qian Sen.
He knew his grandfather quite well; if there was anything wrong with the Blood Oath, Qian Sen would certainly stop him. However, Qian Sen had done nothing, not even spoken a word, evidently leaving the decision to him.
This meant, the Blood Oath should be fine; otherwise, Qian Sen wouldn’t have let him decide on his own.
With this thought, Qian Lang couldn’t help but look at Qian Sen with a smugness—Hmph! Even if you won’t speak, I know how to choose!
None of those present were fools; otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen to take such great risks to follow Fang Yuxin and Bai Ye. They all understood that by asking them to take a Blood Oath, Fang Yuxin was giving them a choice. As long as they took the oath, they would be "one of their own" from here on, but if they were unwilling, naturally they would have to part ways amicably.
They didn’t know much about Fang Yuxin’s trump cards, but they could tell that she was very strong and likely had plenty of resources, otherwise she would not be so generous. And having followed her and Bai Ye for some time, they’d come to understand their temperaments fairly well, recognizing that although the pair looked cold, they were not the selfish, ruthless kind who were prepared to harm others for their own benefit.
Following such people, they naturally felt at ease.
All three agreed. Qian Sen didn’t propose to join Fang Yuxin’s Mercenary Team, as he was planning to join an institute after arriving at Beishi City, and thus did not need to take the Blood Oath.
Zhou Han was simply curious, but sadly he wanted Bai Ye as a master, and since Fang Yuxin did not welcome him, even if he was curious about what the supposed Blood Oath actually was, he had no qualification to take the oath!
On the other hand, Li Qingyun watched from the side and suddenly said, "Xinxin, I also want to take the Blood Oath!"
Fang Yuxin did not expect her to say this and turned around, looking at her in surprise, "Qingyun, you don’t need to..."
Li Qingyun interrupted her, "Xinxin! Please let me do this; let me take this Blood Oath! Although I am your friend, since everyone is joining the Mercenary Team, it should be fair for all. It wouldn’t be right to have double standards, so please let me!"